MSS: Felicia Lee

Felicia Lee is entering her sophomore year at Stanford University, and she talks about the atmosphere on deck and how she fits in with the team there, both in workout and at meets. She also discusses the differences among her former club coaches Paul Yetter and Bob Bowman, and current coach Lea Maurer, and whether she'll return to the 200 fly.

Show Transcript: (Note: This is an automated service where some typos and grammatical errors may occur.)

Jeff Commings: This is the Morning Swim Show for Tuesday, October 11th, 2011. I'm your host Jeff Commings and joining us in the FINIS Monitor today will be Felicia Lee, who has just started her sophomore year at Stanford University. Felicia joins us right now from Stanford. Hi Felicia, welcome to the show. How are you today?

Felicia: Doing well. Thank you for having me.

Jeff Commings: So how is your sophomore year going so far? I know you just started just a couple of weeks ago.

Felicia: Right we just started our classes 2 weeks ago, but I have been on campus since the beginning of September and it has gone really well so been training really well and classes, I actually find them really interesting this year.

Jeff Commings: How are classes different sophomore year than freshman year?

Felicia: You get more of a choice of what you want to do so this year, I'm doing like human biology core, which is what I'm thinking about majoring in, so it is something that I am more interested in than — freshman year I took different courses to see if I really wanted to do the Pre-Med track or I really wanted to do the science part of school.

Jeff Commings: So you say you wanted to get in biology, anything specific you want do in that field?

Felicia: Right now I'm thinking something in sports medicine or behavior, maybe something of a mixture between the two, but it could always change.

Jeff Commings: You know that is what I hear a lot from swimmers, they always want to get into something sports-related. Is it just because you know you have been a swimmer all your life and you kind of you know you have been involved in that, and you kind of hear you know you get massages and things like that and you kind of get an interest over the years through that?

Felicia: I think so, and also like swimming and mainly sports have been like always a big part of my life. I love football, I watch tennis and so it is like it has been a really big part of my life growing up and it is something I don't really want to lose touch with and something I want to keep working on as I get older.

Jeff Commings: Do you think that sports medicine career will keep you in swimming or is it like that you want to get into football?

Felicia: That is undecided as of now. I do want to stay in the know about the swimming world because it has been a huge part of my life, but I'm not sure if I'm going to stay you know that connected to it.

Jeff Commings: Alright so Stanford has already had their first dual meet of the season and I know it is early, but how does the team look so far?

Felicia: I think we looked good. I mean we did lose some key people, but we also brought in a great class and they stepped up the first meet. Like you said it was the first meet of the season and I think that they did really well. It is looking pretty good I am confident in what we can do this year.

Jeff Commings: Is the motivation on the team different this season because Olympic Trials is approaching?

Felicia: I don't think so, I mean it depends on like, what do you mean by that?

Jeff Commings: Well you know you have got the Olympic Trials coming up in June and so everybody has got to focus on that as opposed to last year where, you know, Olympic Trials is a little bit further away so knowing that the Olympic Trials is just around the corner relatively you know is the focus you know a little bit more intense or is it pretty much the same as it was last year?

Felicia: I think it is the same as it was last year. Going into these meets, you have to take them one step at a time. Obviously, Olympic Trials is always in your mind because it is this year, but I mean you still train as hard. You still, you know you still want to be at the top level at NC's as well like it is not. You can't compromise.

Jeff Commings: Give me a sense of what it is like in a typical practice at Stanford. I know you guys work hard obviously it shows in the championship meets but you know is it all work, do you guys you know laugh and have a good time there, give us an idea of what it is like?

Felicia: An idea. I mean we definitely work hard. I have some amazing training partners, but I would say we would like to have fun, too. Closer to taper, I tend to sing a little more at practice, but that can be really pretty fun but we know when it is time to, you know, joke around and laugh and we also know when it is time to turn it on and race in practice. And even while we are racing in practice you always hear someone like, "Come on, you can go faster" so there is always someone speaking, someone motivating you through practice.

Jeff Commings: How is Lea Maurer as a coach compared to Paul Yetter and Bob Bowman, who coached you in North Baltimore?

Felicia: They are similar, but also very different in a lot of ways. I think what I found between Lea, Paul and Bob that all connected was they all motivate me by not like yelling at me but, maybe in a stronger voice, saying like "Come on, Flee, you can go one more," which is like the voice I really like to hear at practice, but in another sense they are all different.

Jeff Commings: So when you are, so just kind of expand on that when you are doing a really tough set, is it hard for you to stay self-motivated? Do you need that coach right there kind of almost literally in your face to push you?

Felicia: I mean no, I don't think so just because all my life I have had some great training partners at North Baltimore and at Stanford. It is just nice to hear a coach like giving you an extra boost at the end when you are tired.

Jeff Commings: Now when you were younger someone in North Baltimore I think a lot of people were looking at you as someone who could be a great 200 flyer, but I have noticed at Stanford you are doing a lot more sprinting. Was that by design or was that just kind of like a happy accident?

Felicia: Maybe a happy accident. I think I am going to start doing the 200 again this year. I did a little break last year from it. It is an event that is really tough for me, but secretly I kind of missed it as much torture as it put me through a couple of years ago.

Jeff Commings: Not many people say that they miss the 200 fly.

Felicia: I don't know how many people say that, but I'm saying that now to you guys.

Jeff Commings: Well good, we will look forward to see how you do this season and best of luck to you and Stanford the rest of the season.

Felicia: Thank you so much.

Jeff Commings: Alright that is Felicia Lee joining us from Stanford University and that is it for today's show. I'm Jeff Comings, thanks for watching.